appleman2006 wrote:Josh wrote:It’s hard to describe how difficult this is for seekers to figure out. Are we supposed to keep our red sportbike or not?
If you were joining our group it would all depend. It would depend on why you had the bike in the first place. What was in your heart that determined you needed a bike and since at least initially no one would know those reasons for sure except for you, no one would tell you to get rid of it. Now perhaps after you had been a part of our group for a number of years and it became very evident that it was a major idol to you, than it might be that some brother, hopefully one you had come to love and appreciate would kindly inquire as to your need of a bike. And your reaction to that would probably say volumes about what is in your heart.
But yes if you are looking for a place where everything is seen in black and white (or red) and where you no longer have to make any of your own decisions as to what God's wants in your life, than the moderate setting is not for you. It will also not be for you if you will be disappointed that everyone does not have exactly the same convictions in all areas that you do.
Thing is, in our moderate conservative churches (which includes my church) some things absolutely
are black and white. For every "sportbike" issue to which your very reasonable assessment would apply there are three other things that are unquestionably acceptable or unaccceptable without being, from an outider's perspective, any more or less significant than "sportbikes," and often without being explicitly or formally defined as acceptable/unacceptable. Activity
a is prohibited, and activity
b is permitted; my "sportbike" seems a lot like activity
a, but activity
b seems "worse" than my "sportbike." And after finding out that article of clothing
x is mandatory and grooming habit
y is forbidden, it seems like my "sportbike" must surely matter one way or the other.
I'm not saying you're wrong, or that you personally are to blame for any of this, but just that the confusion Josh describes is real and justifiable.